Continental Award Recognizes Nearly Two Decades of Youth-Led Peacebuilding, Elevating Liberia’s Role in Africa’s Peace and Security Agenda
By Willie N. Tokpah
Monrovia-Liberian peacebuilding advocate Gwendolyn S. Myers, Founder and Executive Director of Messengers of Peace-Liberia Inc. MOP-Liberia, has received a major continental recognition after being named the inaugural recipient of the African Union AU Peacebuilder Award 2025 in the category of Young Peacebuilder of the Year.
The award, presented at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, recognizes Ms. Myers’ longstanding contribution to youth-led peacebuilding, conflict prevention, community reconciliation, and the promotion of sustainable peace in Liberia and across the African continent.
Her recognition places Liberia at the center of an important continental conversation about the role of young people and grassroots organizations in preventing conflict and sustaining peace, particularly in countries emerging from violent conflicts.
The award was presented during activities commemorating the 20th anniversary of the African Union Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development, PCRD Policy Framework, held under the theme, “Twenty Years of Building and Sustaining Peace, From Policy to Action.”
The high-level event brought together African Union Commissioners, diplomatic representatives, and members of the African Union Peace and Security Council, underscoring the significance of the recognition within the continent’s peace and security architecture.
For Myers, the award represents another major milestone in a peacebuilding journey that has increasingly connected grassroots interventions in Liberia with continental and international policy processes.
In 2015, she became the first youth representative to address the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, where she advocated for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250, a landmark resolution recognizing the role of young people in peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
Nearly a decade later, her work received further international recognition when she was honored as a global Youth, Peace and Security Pioneer during the 10th anniversary commemoration of Resolution 2250.
Her latest African Union recognition further consolidates her position among emerging African voices, contributing to the advancement of youth participation in peace and security governance.
Beyond her work through MOP-Liberia, Myers currently serves as a member of the African Union Advisory Panel on Democratic Elections and Governance, an AU Adviser on Right to Development Quick Impact Projects QIPs, and an Executive Board Member of the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding CSPPS.
She also serves on the Editorial Board of the AU Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Journal, having previously contributed to its inaugural edition.
Eighteen Years of Grassroots Peacebuilding
The continental recognition also brings renewed attention to the work of MOP-Liberia, which has spent approximately 18 years promoting peace, social cohesion, and youth participation in Liberia.
Through school-based peace clubs, youth mentorship programmes, non-violence campaigns, and community civic dialogues, the organization has worked to transform young people from passive observers of conflict into active participants in peacebuilding and community mediation.
Its approach emphasizes the importance of addressing conflict at the community level while preparing young people to participate meaningfully in national and continental development processes.
A notable demonstration of this work came in December 2025, when MOP-Liberia partnered with the African Union Commission’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security PAPS, through the AU PCRD Centre, to organize the first Regional Youth Strategy Forum on Peacebuilding and the Right to Development.
The initiative also resulted in the complete renovation of Kpor Town Public School in Margibi County under a Right to Development Quick Impact Project.
The school renovation was presented as a practical peace dividend for the beneficiary community, demonstrating how peacebuilding partnerships can translate policy commitments into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
The partnership further extended to the organization’s 8th Annual Youth Peace Summer Camp, a flagship initiative of its Africa School for Peace and Development.
Convened in partnership with the African Union’s Youth for Peace Y4P Africa Programme, the camp sought to equip young Liberians with practical knowledge and skills in peacebuilding, with particular emphasis on the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the continent’s long-term development aspirations.
A Recognition Beyond Liberia
The award carries significance beyond Myers’ personal and professional accomplishments, particularly for Liberia, a country whose post-war recovery continues to offer important lessons on reconciliation, institutional rebuilding, and the preservation of peace.
It also highlights the contribution of civil society organizations in translating national and continental peacebuilding commitments into community-based interventions.
For West Africa, a region confronting democratic transitions, political instability, and other security challenges, the recognition reinforces the importance of youth participation and grassroots leadership in sustaining peace.
Myers dedicated the award to young people whose daily commitment, she said, continues to sustain peace across Africa.
She and MOP-Liberia also expressed appreciation to the African Union for, the recognition, describing the honor as an encouragement to deepen efforts toward youth leadership, community-led recovery, and sustainable development.
The recognition comes at a time when African institutions are increasingly emphasizing the need to move beyond policy declarations toward practical interventions that address the root causes of conflict and strengthen community resilience.
For Liberia, Myers’ achievement represents an important acknowledgment of the contribution that homegrown peacebuilding initiatives can make to continental peace and security efforts.
It also placed renewed emphasis on the importance of investing in young peacebuilders, supporting local civil society institutions, and ensuring that communities emerging from conflict remain active participants in shaping their own recovery and development.
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